OLD STORY, NEW SPIN; CSUN PLAYERS TAKE TO NEW COACH.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer The college coaching fraternity is small, and coaches talk. Like old men around the barber pole n. 1. a pole with red and white spiral stripes; - usually found outside a barbershop. , they share stories and gossip. So when Ron Ponciano, a year removed from his coaching assignment at Cal State Northridge, chatted with his old peers in the Big Sky Conference, he listened long and hard. And he didn't like what he heard about the Matadors' program. ``They all said the same thing,'' Ponciano says. ``That, `Yeah, you guys were athletic, you had the skill people. But we knew there were two things that were going to make the outcome of that game favor us. One was we were more physical. And we knew (CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge ) would create penalties or find a way to screw it up. . . . That we didn't have the character to see a solid football game all the way through.'' Ponciano was coaching at San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. State when he heard that, but it hurt anyway. Now he's Northridge's head coach, and he wants to change it. In just a short time, Ponciano has instilled a new attitude and created a new atmosphere - one of discipline and mental and physical toughness. Sometimes he screams. Sometimes with a few unprintables thrown in for emphasis. He's more Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. (born October 18, 1939, in Carnegie, Pennsylvania) also known as Iron Mike Ditka or Da Coach, is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years. than Bill Walsh. And he's getting results. There is less chatter Chatter See: Whipsawed between plays at practice. There are fewer unnecessary cheap shots by teammates on one another. There is a low tolerance for failing to be serious. ``The whole attitude with Coach Ponce, as soon as he comes into the room, he commands respects from all the players,'' said senior safety Vito Clemente. ``It's instant - boom. Coach Ponce is in the room, everybody shapes up, and fast.'' It's a far cry from the laid-back, talkative but sometimes monotonous presentations from Jim Fenwick, who coached the Matadors in 1997, when they finished 6-6. ``Complete, 360-degree turn,'' said senior receiver Drew Hill. ``Ponciano's a real straightforward guy. . . . (Players) really look up to him and respect him as a coach. And it's not just because of the yelling yell v. yelled, yell·ing, yells v.intr. To cry out loudly, as in pain, fright, surprise, or enthusiasm. v.tr. To utter or express with a loud cry. See Synonyms at shout. n. , but it's just because what he says is the truth. And he believes we can do it.'' ``Doing it'' means competing for the Big Sky Conference title, and more importantly, a berth in the Division I-AA playoffs. That's been an elusive goal for CSUN, and most observers don't expect that to change yet - Big Sky coaches ranked the Matadors seventh in the nine-team conference. But Ponciano has instilled more than a new attitude. He's trying to shed CSUN's finesse fi·nesse n. 1. Refinement and delicacy of performance, execution, or artisanship. 2. Skillful, subtle handling of a situation; tactful, diplomatic maneuvering. 3. label by emphasizing the running game, and by harping on run defense. If he improves either area, the Matadors should post a winning record. They were seventh in the conference in run defense (181.1 yards/game), last in rushing offense (98.6) in 1997. Both stats were notably worse than 1996, when Ponciano was defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head under head coach Dave Baldwin Dave Baldwin was the head football coach of San Jose State University from 1997-2000. During his tenure, he had three straight wins over Stanford (including their rosebowl season of 1999). In 1997, SJSU upset No. . ``We've got to out-hit our opponents, we have to be more physical,'' Ponciano said. ``Those are terms I haven't heard in a long time. Except now. I'm horse from screaming it all the time.'' Ponciano's first recruiting class and the promotion of some of last year's underclassmen netted a number of bigger bodies to accomplish his goals. The entire defensive front will be new this season, as will three-fifths of the offensive line. And the pass-happy Matadors will be more balanced this year. Senior Melvin Blue, a transfer from Utah State, could be a 1,000-yard back in the four-receiver spread offense. ``Our passing is so good, (defenses) can't just focus on me with the success we have throwing,'' Blue said. He'll be aided by a solid offensive line. Two seniors, David San Vicente San Vicente (sän vēsān`tā), city (1993 pop. 28,529), central El Salvador. Among its industries are textile manufacturing and sugar milling. San Vicente is the commercial center of a region that produces coffee and sugarcane. and Taffe Aina, start on the left side, with Eastern Michigan transfer and Saugus High alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. Beau Cherry at center. The right side is the question mark, with true freshman True freshman is a term used in NCAA sports, indicating that an athlete is playing the sport in his first year of college, rather than redshirting for one or more years to protect future college eligibility. Keith Kincaid at tackle and either true freshman Tim Shoffeitt or Arizona State transfer Mike Barnes Mike Barnes can refer to:
Blue's arrival will take some pressure off new quarterback Marcus Brady Marcus Brady (Born September 24, 1979) is a quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. College career He attended Cal State Northridge as a business major, where he started 43 straight games. , a redshirt freshman replacing All-American Aaron Flowers. But while Brady won't have Flowers' experience, he will have his receivers - 1997 starters Hill, Aaron Arnold and Mike Ogas all return, and the Matadors are seven deep in quality receiving threats. They probably won't repeat as the top passing offense in the nation, but that's fine with Ponciano. ``We proved we can be the best passing team in the nation and go .500. I'm not interested in that,'' he said. ``We want to be one of the best teams in the nation, not one of the best passing teams.'' Of greater concern is a defense that mixes a lot of new faces with a lot of new terminology and strategy. Ponciano has installed his defense, which features multiple fronts and up to eight men lining up close to the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for . And it will be run by a unit with only four returning starters - safeties Clemente and Jeremy Golden, cornerback Donnell Day and linebacker Shayne Blakey. Ten of the 13 defensive linemen in the rotation are new, as are seven of the top 11 linebackers. New coaches, new players, new system. Same old CSUN story. And yet the Matadors' third coach in three years has his players believing in themselves, believing they can reach their first-ever postseason. Or maybe they're just agreeing because they can't get a word in edgewise edge·wise also edge·ways adv. 1. With the edge foremost. 2. On, by, with, or toward the edge. Adv. 1. . ``I know we can win here,'' Ponciano said. ``I've said it a zillion times: We want to win a national title. And we want to do it with a class team that has unity, and we're trying to do that. And it isn't easy.'' 1998 SCHEDULE Sept. 5 at Boise State 7:05 p.m. Sept. 19 at No. Arizona 6:05 p.m. Sept. 26 E. WASHINGTON 3:05 p.m. Oct. 3 SOUTHERN UTAH 3:05 p.m. Oct. 10 MONTANA3:05 p.m. Oct. 17 at Sacramento St. TBA TBA See: To be announced Oct. 24 MONTANA ST. 3:05 p.m. Oct. 31 at Weber St. 1:05 p.m. Nov. 7 PORTLAND ST. 3:05 p.m. Nov. 14 at SW Missouri 1 p.m. Nov. 21at Idaho St. 6:35 p.m. Sept. 5 - Chemistry check: Matadors have a new QB, new RB, three new OL and seven new players on defense and start the season on the road with a 1-A opponent. Can they gel quickly enough to avoid early embarrassment? Sept. 26 - Legitimacy check: The defending Big Sky champs come to town for CSUN's home opener, and a Matadors victory could turn them into instant contenders. Nov. 7 - ID check: Like Matadors, the Vikings are young but promising, still new to Division I-AA and eager to prove they belong in the Big Sky. CAL ST. NORTHRIDGE MATADORS Last season: 6-6 overall, 4-4 in Big Sky No postseason Stadium: North Campus Field Capacity: 7,500 Tickets: (818) 677-2488 On the Web: www.csun.edu/athletics Information: (818) 677-2313 Radio: All games broadcast on KCSN/88.1 FM TWO-DEEP ROSTER: OFFENSE WIDE RECEIVER 83 Drew Hill 6-0 180 Sr. Top returner with 69 receptions in '97 82 Ryan Beckwith 6-1 190 So. Caught one pass as freshman WIDE RECEIVER 23 Mike Ogas 6-3 205 Sr. 15.6 yards per catch in '97 1 Anthony Ramos 5-9 170 So. JC transfer could make big splash Big Splash could refer to:
LEFT TACKLE 78 David San Vicente 6-3 300 Sr. 3-year starter is vet of the line 75 Rick Farino 6-6 310 Fr. All-league as senior at Mission Viejo Mission Vi·e·jo A community of southern California southeast of Irvine. It is mainly residential. Population: 96,300. H.S. LEFT GUARD 66 Taffe Aina 6-5 320 Sr. CSUN's rookie of year as a junior 53 Scott Dropkin 6-0 260 Fr. All-league as senior at Claremont H.S. CENTER 63 Beau Cherry 6-2 270 Sr. E. Michigan transfer also played at L.A. Valley 70 Joe Bergman 6-5 290 Fr. One of 6 frosh linemen in the rotation RIGHT GUARD 79 Mike Barnes 6-2 285 Sr. Ariz. St. transfer has 1 week to learn offense 65 Tim Shoffeitt 6-1 290 Fr. Was the starter until Barnes arrived RIGHT TACKLE 62 Keith Kincaid 6-4 285 Fr. All-CIF Div. IV at Riverside's North H.S. 71 Geoff Watson 6-2 280 Fr. Redshirted at CSUN last year TIGHT END 89 Ryan Schatz 6-3 245 Sr. Was all-conference at Fullerton College Fullerton College, in Fullerton, California, is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California, having been established in 1913. Fullerton College’s roots can be traced back to a time when the city of Fullerton was primarily an agricultural community 86 John DeMarco 6-3 235 Jr. Was all-conference at Santa Monica College Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is 32,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The college also has one of the largest international student populations of any community college in the US, with approximately WIDE RECEIVER 18 Aaron Arnold 6-1 185 Jr. 58 catches, 7 TDs for CSUN last year 80 Jimmy Greninger 6-3 195 Sr. Redshirted with hamstring injury hamstring injury Sports medicine A muscle injury of biceps femoris, seen in sprinters and runners, when a contracted muscle meets a lengthening force, overpowering intrinsic muscle resiliency Management RICE, NSAIDs, gradual ↑ of pain-free activity–eg, in '97 QUARTERBACK 8 Marcus Brady 6-1 185 Fr. Has never taken a snap in a college game 7 Josh Fiske 6-3 205 Jr. Experienced, will take over if Brady falters RUNNING BACK 6 Melvin Blue 6-0 230 Sr. Utah St. transfer should rush for 1,000 yards 11 Jamaul Bradley 5-10 215 Jr. Won JC nat'l championship at Mt. SAC TWO-DEEP ROSTER: DEFENSE END 94 Patrick Cwik 6-1 260 Jr. 3rd-team All-American at Hancock College 39 John Dagata 5-11 245 So. Was a reserve safety for CSUN last year TACKLE 92 Ryan Hourigan 6-3 260 Jr. All-conference at Valley College 50 Shawnbay Jones 6-3 265 Jr. Played two years at Sacramento CC TACKLE 90 Sean Beard 6-0 285 Jr. Quick nose guard can penetrate double team 97 Jacob Mageo C 5-10 270 Jr. Transfer from Palomar JC; former all-CIF END 96 Erik Gardner 6-6 240 So. Started last four CSUN games in '97 42 Justin Simpson 6-3 235 Sr. Saw limited action as tight end in '97 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 5 Shayne Blakey 6-0 205 Sr. Was third in tackles last year with 80 46 Jack Heaslet 5-10 218 Jr. Western State Conf. player of year in '97 MIDDLE LINEBACKER 32 Cos Abercrombie 6-1 225 So. Replaces All-American Marc Goodson 54 Robby Wadas 5-11 230 Sr. Played sparingly spar·ing adj. 1. Given to or marked by prudence and restraint in the use of material resources. 2. Deficient or limited in quantity, fullness, or extent. 3. Forbearing; lenient. in seven games in '97 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 52 Brennen Swanson 6-3 230 Jr. 54 tackles in '97 was fifth best for CSUN 57 Karl Finely 6-3 225 So. Spent '97 on practice squad CORNERBACK 3 Chazz Moore 6-3 210 Jr. Speedy, but body and strength of a linebacker 9 Tayari Ferrell 5-10 162 Sr. Limited to five games by knee injury in '97 STRONG SAFETY 29 Vito Clemente 6-1 195 Sr. Missed four games but finished with 43 tackles 38 Hassan Abdul-Malik 5-9 180 Fr. Younger bro of USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. DE Sultan SULTAN. The title of the Turkish sovereign and other Mahometan princes. Abdul-Malik FREE SAFETY 4 Jeremy Golden 6-0 180 So. Had 84 tackles, four picks as a CSUN freshman 20 Corey Oggs 6-2 175 Jr. Transfer from Bakersfield College BC was founded in 1913 and initially housed on the campus of Bakersfield High School (then Kern County Union High School) before moving in 1956 to its current location "on the hill" in northeast Bakersfield. CORNERBACK 30 Donnell Day 5-10 185 Sr. Led CSUN with seven pass break-ups in '97 25 Bryant Eubanks 5-8 171 Sr. Played in eight games as a reserve last year SPECIALISTS PUNTER Punter 1. An trader who hopes to make quick profits. Basically, another term for speculator. 2. In the U.K., it is generally used to describe someone who gambles. It is also used to mean a client or customer of any business. 88 Ethan Beck 6-4 200 So. Was second string receiver KICKER Kicker A right, warrant, or some other feature added to a debt instrument to make it more desirable to potential investors. Notes: The ability to trade a bond or other debt instrument in for stock may entice investors, if they feel the stock will appreciate. 22 Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
Made 12 of 17 field goals last year PUNT RETURNER Punt returner (PR) is a position on special teams in American football. Description The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position (or a touchdown if possible) by returning it. 4 Jeremy Golden 6-0 C 180 So. 7.9 yards per return last year KICK RETURNER 1 Anthony Ramos 5-9 170 So. Matadors make high hopes for him CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, 2 Boxes, Map PHOTO (1) After hearing stories about lack of physical play, new coach Ron Ponciano is determined to make Cal State Northridge a champion. Evan Yee/Daily News (2) RON PONCIANO 1st Year BOX: (1) 1998 SCHEDULE (see text) (2) CAL ST. NORTHRIDGE MATADORS (see text) MAP: CSUN North campus field Daily News |
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